Thula Thula Exclusive Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal

Hlonipha – Respect

At Thula Thula we were wooed by the same gentleness that calmed the elephants, as described in Lawrence Anthony’s ‘The Elephant Whisperer’. Even the name Thula Thula refers to a quietening or calming, usually spoken or sung as a lullaby to quieten a baby. A deep respect is shown here for all things natural and these people are serious about conservation.

Elephant and rhino are allowed to wander right into the lodge grounds, and it is remarkable to witness them going about their feeding and interactions from the deep baths overlooking the open bush. The accommodation is African style, with French verve. Zebra stripes, thatch, cool screed floors and wafty white mosquito nets let you know you are in the heart of Zululand, Africa.

The lodge owner and the late Lawrence Anthony’s elegant wife Francine joins us at the bar and it is a privilege to meet her and ask her about her life. She is passionate about Africa, conservation and delicious food and the effects of her care are everywhere. The lodge is famed for its gourmet meals and we enjoy a superb 4-course meal, once again a creative fushion of French and African inspiration.

Accommodation Experience:

On an afternoon safari game drive we spend a happy two hours driving around the well protected game reserve. It is a thrill which is hard to explain to get close to the very elephants described in the book and each one is named and has an interesting story about its personality or past. They become four dimensional beings as we hear more about their interesting quirks and history. I have a sense that one can stay here for weeks and keep learning more about each one and developing a relationship with them.

Our guide is one of the best I have ever enjoyed being out with, and he is clearly passionate about the conservation of this natural heritage, as well as offering lively stories and fresh information. We stop for drinks at a watering hole and appreciate the privilege of being out in the African bushveld. We move on, passing a ‘tall horse’ (giraffe), silhouetted against the setting sun.

However it is on our way back that I have my heart-stopping moment. We round a corner and come across the two local rhino of the reserve. We stop and discuss their habits and history, and as we do so, one comes right up to the vehicle. He keeps coming and stops, not 20cm from my door and it is all I can do to stop myself from reaching out and touching his precious head. It is an experience I will never forget, made more poignant by the plight of these endangered great beasts. This pair of rhinos have their own private bodyguards, a 24 hour security detail to ensure that they are not poached for their horns. We are excited to hear that there is a newly opened Rhino Orphanage awaiting its first two orphaned baby rhinos in the coming week. It is yet another significant contribution to the conservation of this beautiful animal by the lovely people of this priceless safari lodge and game reserve.

Nselweni Bush Lodge, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve

Halala Ezemvelo!

So here’s the thing – we have always loved Ezemvelo (KZN Wildlife) for their unerring commitment to conservation and community upliftment, but now we have a new reason to celebrate their pioneering spirit – the creation of beautiful bush lodges in the form of Nselweni eco-villas in Hlhulhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve. These spacious “tents” are a design success. Each little freestanding lodge faces out onto the bush, with folding back glass doors and windows across the full front of the kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom. From your twin beds you look straight out over your own verandah onto natural African bushveld. It is a twitcher’s paradise, surrounded by the sounds of Emerald-Spotted Wood Doves, Trumpeter Hornbills and African Wood Hoopoe. At night you hear lions mating, hyena whoop and elephants trumpet.

The compact, yet open design of the lodges allows you to feel connected with the bushveld beyond, even while cooking indoors. The gorgeous kitchenette has a vaulted ceiling with stylish cutlery, crockery, pots and utensils. A gas powered fridge, stove and oven compliment the safari feel. Glamping this is none-the-less, with smooth cream screed floors, a swish Nguni patchwork rug and a leather armchair. 

The bathroom is calm and spacious, with a creamy tiled shower more than a meter wide, opening full onto the bush. Brushed silver handrails, wide doorways and seamless ramps make the units wheelchair accessible. 

Nselweni is luxurious, combining both style and substance. And it is good to know that your contribution is to Ezemvelo, and speifically to the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi game reserve which is widely credited to having saved the white rhino from extinction, thanks to the foresight and dedication of people such as the late Ian Player and Magquba Ntombela. Even today, you need not drive far out of the camp gates of Nselweni to encounter a crash of the great, gentle beasts.

Accommodation Experience

Being in a Big 5 game reserve, we slip easily into our very different daily rhythm, waking early for a dawn game drive, having breakfast at a picnic spot with a view, napping after lunch, going out again for an evening drive with sundowners and braaing outdoors in the evenings. The first morning I wake at 4am, too excited to sleep. We have left the curtains of the front of the villa open and the moon spills in over the bed.

As our new year resolution, now lasting well into spring, we took a decision that we do not need more “things” in our life and we came to the conclusion that what the environment needs least is increased productivity. So we pledged to take more time off work, and instead of giving one another products for birthdays and Christmas, we give the gift of experiences in beautiful and natural parts of the country.

And so, at my 4am waking, I decide to participate in this creation of a memory, instead of falling back to sleep, and I head out to my private deck. It is a quiet dawn by African bushveld standards, the lions finally having stopped their cavorting. Then I hear what sounds like a rhino snorting beyond the fence and I see a hyena glide eerily past in the half dark.

I smile in appreciation and send up a silent prayer of thanks for the many people who contributed to the conservation of the vast reserve and the creation of this beautiful space from which to enjoy it.